Bicycle



. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. D. P. VINCENT.-

BIGYGLB. j

Patented July 7,1891.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

D. P. VIN-CENT.

BICYCLE.

Patented July 7,1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID PORTER VINCENT, OF OIL CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 455,673, dated July 7,1891.

Application filedPebruarylB, 1891. Serial No. 381,782. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID PORTER VIN- CENT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at 011 City, in the county of Venango and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBicycles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. A

My invention has relation to an improvement in bicycles and my object isto provide abicycle-frame of such construction that it Wlll take up andsuccessfully resist all jars and olts to which it may be subjectedduring rlding, at the same time serving to give greater elasticity tothe frame of the machine and adding to its strength.

I accomplish my object by the means shown. in the accompanying drawings,in which Flgure 1 is a perspective view of a bicycleframe provided withmy improvement. Fig. 2 represents my improvement applied to an ordinarySafety bicycle.

Referring to the drawings annexed, the numeral 1 represents an ordinarySafety frame, having the usual rear-wheel mud-guard 2 and frame-rods 3and 4. Ordinarily each set of frame-rods 3 4 were joined together attheir lower ends in such a manner as to form yokes at the point of unionof each set of rods, said yokes being adapted to fit on the axle of therear wheel of the bicycle.

So far herein I have been describing prior constructions, and my presentinvention differs from that hereinbefore described, in that at the pointof union of'the frame-rods 3 at instead of having the yoke bearing uponthe axle I provide at said points perforated ofisets 5 5, as shown inthe drawings. Through said ofisets 5 5 the arms 6 and 7 of the yoke 8are adapted to slide vertically. These arms 6 7, as Well as all theother portions of myimprovement to be hereinafter described, may be madeof some suitable material, such as spring metal, or may be made ofhollow steel tubing, as desired. Each of the said arms 6 7 are providedat their lower extremities with suitable bearings 9 9 for the axle A ofthe rear wheel of the bicycle. At the upper extremity of the yoke S thearms 6 7 are suitably secured together, as at 10, and project, as at 11,through an opening of appropriate size in the top of the rear-wheelmud-guard, as plainly shown in the drawings. As is exceedingly obvious,the arms 6 7 may extend up through suitable guides on either side of themud-guard, and then be secured together above the said mud-guard withoutin the least departing from the spirit of my invention.

The numeral 12 indicates suitable buffers, preferably adj ustablysecured on each of the said arms 6 7 of the yoke 8, said buffers beingadapted to act as stops for the offsets 5 5 of the frame-rods whenpressed upwardly (owing to a jar or jolt receivedduring riding) throughthe medium of the coiled springs 13 13,which, as shown, are wrappedaround both arms 6 7 of the yoke 8 between the bearings 9 9 of the axleA and the offset portions 5 5 of the bicycle-frame. As is apparent, anyconvenient or suitable form of spring may be employed, such as a flatspring; or the location of the spring may be changed, if advantageous,to the point where the brace-rods 6 7 are secured together.

On each ofgt he frame-rods -:t 4 I provide a suitable sliding-sleevecoupling 14:14. Jointed to the sliding coupling 14 14 and to one side ofthe bearings 9 9, as shown, respectively, at. points 15 15 and 16 16,are two brace-rods 17 17 at each side of the frame.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated a modification of my device, in whichfigure the numerals 1 and 4 represent, respectively, the frame and bracerods of the bicycle. These rods terminate in inverted-U-shaped guideways18, in which slide vertically the bearing-blocks 19 for the axle A.Above said bearing-block 19 and suitably secured to said block is onearm 7 of the yoke 8, around which a spring 13 is wrapped, as shown. Asis obvious, I have illustrated but one side of a machine provided withthis modification, the other side being a duplicate.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it

will be readily seen that any jar the wheel of the bicycle mayreceivesuch, for instance, as coming in contact with a stone or a rut inthe roadwill be taken up through the medium of the springs 13,brace-rods 1717, and-springarms b 7, and will be equally distributedthereon without being communicated to the frame of the machine ortherider. Obviously by altering the parts slightly they may be used on thefront wheel of the bicycle with equally good results, or may be used onboth wheels together.

It will be seen that my device while being cheap to n'lanufactnre,durable in use, and handsome in appearance also tends to make the ridermore graceful and con'ifortable, and at the same time protects in athorough manner the frame of the bicycle from jolts and sudden jars,which always have more or less tendency to loosen the various parts ofthe machine.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim herein as new andof my own invention is 1. In a bicycle, the mud-guard and a yoke theunder portion of which rests upon the axle and the upper portion ofwhich plays through said m nd-gnard, in. combination with the rods ofthe frame, connected to said yoke, and a spring or springs on the yoke,as shown.

2. In a bicycle, a yoke the under portion of which rests upon the axle,in combination with the rods of the frame, connected to said yoke, aspring on the yoke, and bracerods connected with the said yoke and the.

frame-rods, as set forth.

In a bicycle, a yoke the under portion of which rests upon the axle, incombination with the rods of the frame connected to said yoke, a springor springs on the yoke, buffers on said yoke, and rods connectedto theyokebearings and to the frame-rods, as set forth.

4. In a bicycle, the combination of a springseated frame and a yoke theupper portion of which has an extension projecting through a suitableopening in the mud-guard, as set forth.

5. In a bicycle, a spring-seated frame, a yoke the arms of whicl passthrough said frame and are provided at heir lower extre1ni ties withbearings resting upon the axle, and the upper portion of which yoke isguided by the wheel-guard, andbrace-rods jointed to the bearings oftheyoke and to collars on the frame-rods, as set forth.

6. In a bicycle, a spring-seated frame, a yoke the arms of which passthrough said frame and rest upon the axle, stops or buffers on the upperand lower portions of the yoke, and brace-rods connected to the lowerportion of the yoke and to the frame-rods, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

I). PORTER VINCENT.

Witnesses:

W. B. FILSON, F. N. CHAMBERS.

